Reduced solar production during winter months

As we enter the winter months, solar production naturally reduces. The sun is lower in the sky and its ultraviolet light rays hit the panels at a less efficient angle, which in return decreases the solar production.

Also keep in mind that winter days are shorter, reducing the number of hours that the panels have to capture light. To top it off, we tend to get more inclement weather - more cloudy days means less sunshine can be absorbed.

This month, on average, solar systems installed on Norfolk Island produced 2.9kWh of energy per kW installed. Back in January, this average was 4.0kWh per kW. Current production is approximately 30% lower.

With less solar production we are unable to turn off the diesel generators for as long each day. This means the window where the lower tariffs apply is relatively short on most days this month, and we are not seeing the lowest tariffs apply as often.

We'll have another couple of months of this, before the days start getting noticeably longer again.  

For any further questions on your electricity consumption or bills, please reach out to connect@besy.energy